Validation of the wave climate in south-west Australia predicted using the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis

Abstract

Understanding of measured and predicted waves has an impact on wave energy extraction, efficiency and economics and is therefore a focus for optimisation of Carnegie Wave Energy’s CETO technology. Improvements in weather prediction have enabled the generation of updated wave hindcasts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR). These were validated for Garden Island, Rottnest Island and Cape Naturaliste in south-west Australia for March to December 2009. The CAWCR data set provides a more extensive list of wave parameters as opposed to three-hourly major wave parameter sets (significant wave height (Hs), peak period (Tp) and peak direction (Dp)) provided by NOAA, and overall performed better. The CAWCR hindcast will form the underpinning data for the Australian Wave Energy Atlas Project, a CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology project in which Carnegie is a collaborator.